Keeping Your New Years Resolutions – Fitness & All

Its the second day of 2009, and we’ve all (presumably) had the time to recover from our New Year’s Eve celebrations.  Its time to start thinking about the obligatory of New Years Resolution.  Fitness usually tops the list.  So, have you started?  I took some time to formalize my fitness goals for 2009 a few days ago.  Notice I called them goals, not resolutions?

How To Keep Resolutions

There is a great article on how to keep your New Years resolutions.  Although dated, the article offers excellent advice, which is still applicable.  Some of the suggestions from this piece include:

• Having a strong commitment to make a change.
• Being accountable.  Keep track of your progress.
• Avoid framing your resolutions in absolutes.

Let’s take a moment to examine each of these in turn.

Make a strong commitment

Quite often, we make the mistake of framing our resolutions based on concerns of the moment.  Take a moment to draft your resolutions, then set them aside for a week.  Once you’ve had time to digest them, come back and re-examine what you’ve written.  Consider if they are a) measurable, b) realistic, and c) achievable.  For example, don’t say, “I’m going to lose weight.”  Frame your resolution as, “I’m going to lose 10 pounds by December 31, 2009.”  Make use of online tools to determine what a realistic goal may be.  If its weight loss, choose your weight loss target based on BMI.

Be accountable

Once you have specific, measurable goals, write them down and put them where you will see them every day.  A good place is as your computer monitor desktop.  Share them with friends and family, and then revisit them on a regular basis.  Write it down in your calendar.

Don’t use absolutes

My experience has been that the best way to guarantee that I’ll do something, is to swear that I’ll never do it.  The minute I utter the words, “… I will never…”, I’ve doomed myself to do exactly that.  So, don’t swear off  your favorite treat or sin.  It would be foolish for me to say that I’ll never eat chocolate again.  There’s no way I can hope to realistically achieve that.  However, I can say that I’ll only have chocolate on odd-numbered days, for instance.  If you restrict your access to the little treats, they only become that much more valuable as rewards.

I’ve shared my fitness goals, let’s talk about the fitness goals of readers.  What are your fitness goals for 2009?  More importantly, how do you plan on keeping your resolutions?

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